The musicians of his orchestra set the standard for the "solo" personality, (guitar, piano, two saxes, drums, bass, vocalist). The epitome of all future rhythm'n'blues combos Was basically a shrunk-down version of the big-bands of swing, Whose combo, that emerged with their noir instrumental version ofĮarle Hagen's Harlem Nocturne (1945) and stormed the charts withĭouble Crossing Blues (1950) and Mistrustrin' Blues (1950),
His fusion of deep-toned moaning rural blues and jubilant urban jump-blues, which is the raison d'etre of Call It Stormy Monday (september 1947) and T-Bone Shuffle (november 1947), take or leave the jazzy horns, but caused him a stylistic imbalance that culminated with the proto-psychedelic Strollin' With Bone (april 1950).Īnother fusion of blues and jazz was conceived in Los Angeles by a white T-Bone Blues (june 1940) and Mean Old World (july 1942) were recorded by swing orchestras. Los Angeles bluesman Aaron "T-Bone" Walker who, as a boy in his native Texas, had accompanied Blind Lemon Jefferson and had emerged as a guitarist in the medicine shows of Ida Cox and Ma Rainey, imported mellow jazz phrasing into the blues guitar (as Lonnie Johnson had already done), and decisevely adopted the electric amplification of the instrument, which, in turn, redefined the guitar as a dominant solo voice. Los Angeles: Sophisticated Blues TM, ®, Copyright © 2003 Piero Scaruffi All rights reserved. King, founded in 1944 in Cincinnati (Ohio) by Syd Nathan,Ītlantic, founded in 1947 in New York by songwriter Ahmet Ertegun,Īnd Aristocrat, founded in 1947 in Chicago by by two Polish Jews, Phil and Leonard Chess. Savoy, founded in 1942 in Newark (New Jersey) by Herman Lubinsky, The growing business of "race" music spawned several labels (all of them foundedĪnd run by white people) devoted only to black music, such as It was during and right after the war that It was during the war, in 1941, that a radio station in Arkansas (KFFA) hired Sonny Boy Williamson to advertise groceries, the first case of mass exposure by blues singers. Surprisingly, World War II fostered a boom of "race" music that enabledĪ more effective distribution of black music. Pianist Jack Dupree, Dupree Shake Dance (1941) and New Orleans' barrelhouse piano blues survived in the early cuts of Jordan was the link between blues, jazz and rock music.įew people noticed it, but Carl Hogan played a powerful guitar riff on Jordan'sĪin't That Just Like a Woman (1945) that, ten years later, would makeĪnother intermediary between the swing orchestra and the jump-blues combo wasĮrskine Hawkins, who straddled the border between jazz and blues in That ruled the race charts after the war. These songs defined "jump Blues", the uptempo, jazz-tinged style of blues Stone Cold Dead In The Market (1945), a duet with jazz vocalist Ella Fitzgerald,Ĭhoo Choo Ch'Boogie (1946), the multi-million seller that changed Somebody Done Hoodooed the Hoodoo Man (1940) His Tympany Five, that ranged from five to nine members, penned The hardship of black life in a detached (almost ironic) tone. Orchestras, emphasized the dance rhythm (the "shuffle"), sharpened the sax Jordan (who had inherited a band in 1938) shrank down the size of swing's Louis Jordan, who became one of the best-selling
Themes of segregation, the music was largely abandoning its originalĪ new style was born in New York thanks to saxophonist, vocalist and bandleader While the lyrics were still repeating the traditional Transplanted in the dancehalls, the juke joints and the vaudeville theaters,īlues music became energetic and exuberant.įorm (arrangement, rhythm and vocal style) began to prevail over content
The heavy rhythm of jump blues, the tight brassy riffs of swing orchestras,Īll had a role in making blues music more malleable and entertaining. The 32 beats of white pop music, the dramatic emphasis of gospel singers, The blues was mutating according to the changing social and artistic landscape. New York: Jump blues TM, ®, Copyright © 2003 Piero Scaruffi All rights reserved. ( These are excerpts from my book "A History of Popular Music") A History of Rhythm'n'Blues A brief history of Rhythm'n'Blues
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